Bruges

).

In support of the municipal (see "Road" above), free public transport is available for those who park their cars in the main railway station car park.

Cycling

Although a few streets are restricted, no part of Bruges is car free.

Cars are required to yield to pedestrians and cyclists. Plans have long been under way to ban cars altogether from the historic center of Bruges or to restrict traffic much more than it currently is, but these plans have yet to come to fruition. In 2005, signs were changed for the convenience of cyclists, allowing two-way cycle traffic on more streets, however car traffic has not decreased. Recent cycle fatalities have increased pressure to close bridges and further calm inner Bruges, but laws have not yet passed. Due to heavily populated suburbs, bus traffic is high on the narrow streets. This makes cycling even trickier.

Nevertheless, in common with many cities in the region, there are thousands of cyclists in the city of Bruges.

Port

The port of Bruges is Zeebrugge. It's the most modern and second biggest port of Belgium and one of the most important in Europe.

ports

*Bruges is traditionally the starting town for the annual Ronde van Vlaanderen cycle race, held in April and one of the biggest sporting events in Belgium.
*Bruges is also a football town represented by two teams at the top level (Belgian First Division): Club Brugge and Cercle Brugge K.S.V., both playing in the Jan Breydel Stadium (30,000 seats). Although, Club Brugge has plans for a new stadium with about 40,000 seats.

Miscellaneous

*The Bruges Matins, the nocturnal massacre of the French garrison in Bruges by the members of the local Flemish militia on 18 May 1302.
*Bruges is known for its lace.
*Several beers are named after Bruges, such as Brugge Blond, Brugge Tripel, Brugs, Brugse Babbelaar, Brugse Straffe Hendrik and Brugse Zot. However, only Brugse Zot is still brewed in the city itself, in the Halve Maan Brewery (a blonde ale was launched in 2005 and a brown ale in 2006).
*Bruges is home to the College of Europe, a prestigious institution of postgraduate studies in European Economics, Law and Politics.
*In Sint-Michiels is the amusement park Boudewijn Seapark with the dolphinarium.
*Fiction:
**"Bruges-la-Morte", a short novel by the Belgian author Georges Rodenbach, first published in 1892.
**"In Bruges", a film from Oscar-winning director Martin McDonagh, starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, is set almost entirely within Bruges.
**The detective stories of Pieter Aspe are situated in Bruges.
**"The Nun's Story", a dramatic film released by Warner Bros. Pictures in 1959, is entirely set in Bruges.
**"Niccolò Rising", part of the 8 book "House of Niccolo" series by Dorothy Dunnett is largely set in Bruges, and is set in 1459-60."
**Alan Hollinghurst's novel" The Folding Star is set in a Flemish town that is recognisably Bruges.
**"L'Astrologue de Bruges", a Belgian bande dessinée in the Yoko Tsuno series by Roger Leloup, is entirely set in Bruges, both contemporary and in 1545.

Famous inhabitants

The following people were born in Bruges:
*Jan Breydel and Pieter de Coninck, freedom fighters
*Philip I of Castile, first Habsburg ruler in Spain (1478–1506)
*Adrian Willaert, composer of the Renaissance, (birth in Bruges uncertain, c. 1490-1562)
*Simon Stevin, mathematician and engineer (1548–1620)
*Franciscus Gomarus, Calvinist theologian (1563–1641)
*Guido Gezelle, poet and priest (1830–1899)

In the 15th century, the city became the magnet for a number of prominent personalities:
*Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy set up court in Bruges, Brussels, and Lille in the 15th century
*William Caxton, English merchant, diplomat, writer, and printer
*Petrus Christus, Flemish painter
*Gerard David, Flemish painter
*Hans Memling, Flemish painter
*Jan van Eyck, Flemish painter
*Juan Luís Vives, Spanish scholar and humanist
*Simon Bening and Levina Teerlinc, Limners

Town twinning policy

On principle, Bruges has to date never entered into close collaboration with twin cities. Without denying the usefulness of this schemes for towns with fewer international contacts, the main reason is that Bruges would find it difficult to choose between cities and thinks that it has enough work already with its many international contacts. Also, it was thought in Bruges that twinning was too often an occasion for city authorities and representatives to travel on public expense.

This principle resulted, in the 1950s, in Bruges refusing a "jumelage" with Nice and other towns, signed by a Belgian ambassador without previous consultation. In the 1970s, a Belgian consul in Oldenburg made the mayor of Bruges sign a "declaration of friendship" which he tried to present, in vain, as a "jumelage".

The twinning between some of the former communes, merged with Bruges in 1971, were discontinued.

This does not mean that Bruges would not be interested in cooperation with others, as well in the short term as in the long run, for particular projects. Here follow a few examples.

; flagicon|BEL Bastogne, Luxembourg, Belgium : After World War II and into the 1970s, Bruges, more in particular the Fire Brigade of Bruges, entertained friendly relations with Bastogne. Each year a free holiday was offered at the seaside in Zeebrugge, to children from the Nuts city.; flagicon|DEU Arolsen, Hesse, Germany : From the 1950s until the 1980s, Bruges was the patron of the Belgian First Regiment of Horse Guards, quartered in Arolsen; flagicon|ESP Salamanca, Castilla y León, Spain : Both towns having been made European Capital of Culture in 2002, Bruges had some exchanges organized with Salamanca.; flagicon|BEL Mons, Hainaut, Belgium : In 2007, cultural and artistic cooperation between Mons and Bruges was inaugurated.; flagicon|ESP Burgos, Castilla y León, Spain : On 29 January 2007, the mayors of Burgos and Bruges signed a declaration of intent about future cooperation on cultural, touristic and economic matters.

Panoramas

External links

* [http://www.brugge.be/internet/en/index.htm Official Website] , also available in [http://www.brugge.be/internet/nl/index.htm Dutch] , [http://www.brugge.be/internet/fr/index.htm French] and [http://www.brugge.be/internet/de/index.htm German]
* Tourist:
** [http://www.visit-bruges.net Tourist guide for Bruges]
** [http://www.aboutbruges.com/uk/root/bruges-heritage-city.html Tourist, historical and architectural information about Bruges]
** [http://www.focusguides.com/cities/bruges.htm Bruges travel guide at Focus Guides]
** [http://www.enchantingbruges.com Enchanting Bruges - Tourist Information and Visitor Recommendations]
* Pictures, panoramas and webcams:
** [http://www.comitevoorinitiatief.be/webcam/ Live webcam from Bruges (view on Market Square), updated every 10 seconds]
** [http://www.virtualbruges.be Virtual Panorama Tour of Bruges]
** [http://brugge.360cities.net Interactive 360º virtual tour of the city ]
** [http://www.somerset3d.co.uk/gallery2.htm#belgium Photos of Bruges in 3d (Anaglyphs)]
** [http://www.oldstratforduponavon.com/bruges Old Postcard Views of Bruges]
* Other:
** [http://www.bruggebusiness.com The Commercial website of Bruges - BruggeBusiness.com]
** [http://www.sintsalvator.be/ The Cathedral of Saint Saviour]
** [http://www.zeebruggeport.be/index.asp?taal=E Port of Bruges-Zeebrugge]
** [http://www.ost.aero/ International Airport Ostend-Bruges]
** [http://www.coleurop.be/default.asp?language=en&switchlang=yes College of Europe]

References